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Car rental loyalty programs are often overlooked. However, there's still value to be had with them, especially if you've found yourself renting cars more often lately.
As the largest rental car company globally, it comes as no surprise that Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers a loyalty program. The Enterprise Plus program allows members to earn rewards on their rentals and unlock special privileges through elite status. However, you'll only be able to take advantage of the program on "qualifying rentals."
Continue reading to learn all of the ins and outs of the Enterprise Plus program. We'll cover earning and redeeming points, the different elite status levels and more.
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Enterprise Plus program overview
Enterprise operates more than 8,000 locations worldwide, so chances are you've come across the car rental giant.
The company introduced its completely revamped Enterprise Plus loyalty program in 2012. Unfortunately, the program hasn't evolved much since then.
Enterprise Plus is free and easy to join. However, you can only reap its benefits on qualifying rentals. This means that you must book directly to earn rewards instead of using an online travel agency like Priceline. There's one exception to this, but it's a good one: Because Enterprise owns National Car Rental, you can earn credits toward free rental days and elite status when renting from National. However, note that some Enterprise and National locations don't participate in the Enterprise Plus program, including those in Africa and the Middle East.
How to earn Enterprise Plus points
When renting cars from Enterprise, you can choose between earning frequent flyer miles, hotel points or Enterprise Plus points. You'll earn 1 point per qualifying dollar spent on rentals if you choose Enterprise points. But, depending on your Enterprise Plus elite status, you may earn 10% to 20% bonus points.
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You must attach your Enterprise Plus member number to your reservations to earn points. If you don't, you have six months from your return date to request missing points.
It's worth noting that your Enterprise Plus points will never expire as long as you remain an active member with at least one qualifying rental every three years.
Related: Everything you need to know about rental car elite status
What is a qualifying Enterprise rental?
Only some Enterprise rentals are qualifying. Based on the Enterprise Plus terms and conditions, here's how to tell if your rental is qualifying.
First off, "qualifying rentals" must meet at least one of the following conditions:
- A paid Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand rental at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, the European Union, Latin America, the Caribbean or Asia Pacific.
- A paid rental made with National Car Rental in the U.S. or Canada using an Emerald Club number that has the member's Enterprise Plus member number listed as the frequent travel program preference on the Emerald Club profile.
"Qualifying rental days" are paid rental days associated with a qualifying rental. A rental with one or more free rental days will count as a qualified rental as long as there is a minimum of one paid rental day.
Qualifying rentals and qualifying rental days do not include the following types of rentals:
- Insurance replacement rentals and dealer replacement, body shop or fleet replacement rentals.
- Rentals included as part of a tour or travel package.
- Prepaid rentals booked through third-party online travel agencies.
- Enterprise Truck rentals using a commercial or government account number or contracted rates.
- Exotic Car Collection rentals.
- Enterprise CarShare rentals.
- Discounted rentals by Enterprise employees and their family members or friends eligible to receive an employee discount.
Stretch your earnings
There are several ways you can potentially double or triple dip on rewards with Enterprise. First, you can go through an online shopping portal to earn bonus cash back or points. I recommend using a shopping portal aggregator like TopCashback to find the best portal. You'll book directly with Enterprise when going through the portal, so you'll still qualify for Enterprise Plus points.
When booking your Enterprise rental, use a card that provides primary car rental insurance and earns bonus points on travel spending. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card all offer primary rental coverage. This means you'll be able to decline Enterprise's collision insurance and still be covered if anything goes wrong.
You'll also earn bonus points, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve paying out 3 points per dollar on travel and the Chase Sapphire Preferred offering 2 points per dollar spent on travel. The Venture X offers 10 miles per dollar on car rentals, but only if you book through the Capital One Travel portal (which doesn't earn Enterprise Plus credit). If you want to book directly with Enterprise, you'll earn 2 miles per dollar spent with the Venture X.
When it comes time to fill your tank, use a card that earns extra points on gas spending, such as the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) or the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
As with most rental car companies, you'll get a much better rate when using a discount code. These codes are available to employees of many major companies and members of large organizations. You can find some of these on Enterprise's deals page. Even though you must book directly with Enterprise to utilize the loyalty program, you may also find specials through AutoSlash.
Related: Renting a car? These are the cards you need to get now
Redeeming Enterprise Plus points
Points can be redeemed for free rentals on any available car on any day, with no blackout dates. Free rental days cover the base rate (time and mileage) only. You're still responsible for paying any applicable taxes, fees and surcharges.
How many Enterprise points do I need for a free rental?
Free rental redemptions start at 600 points. But redemption prices are dynamic, so the actual number of points required will vary based on your rental details. You must be signed in to determine how many points a reward requires, but points are generally worth about 5 cents apiece.
While there are no blackout dates, there are some restrictions to be aware of. Most of them overlap with the "qualifying rental" restrictions. One important restriction to realize is that you cannot redeem points for one-way rentals outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Related: Airport rental car users are increasingly dissatisfied as prices increase, per new study
Enterprise Plus elite status
All Enterprise Plus members start with Plus status, with the ability to earn Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Here are the details of the status levels:
As you can see, the benefits are relatively limited. Still, if you regularly rent from Enterprise, the bonus points and upgrade certificates can be valuable.
Enterprise also offers a straightforward status match program here. You can get automatic Enterprise Plus status if you currently have elite status with Avis or Hertz. And several credit cards offer automatic elite status for car rentals.
However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Enterprise is extending any status tiers expiring on Feb. 28, 2022, through Feb. 28, 2023.
Related: How to never pay full price for a rental car
Bottom line
The Enterprise Plus program is a great way to make your Enterprise rentals more rewarding. Earning and redeeming points is very straightforward. That said, if you rent cars frequently enough to earn status, you may be able to get more value with another company that offers elite members more benefits.
Depending on your spending, it could make more sense to join National Emerald Club and credit your Enterprise rentals to that program instead. Instead of points based on spending, the program awards one rental credit for every qualified car rental. Seven of these credits get you one free rental day in up to a midsize car.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
